NL CENTRAL
News and notes by John Perrotto
Chicago Cubs
Jake Arrieta missed his scheduled start Sept. 9 against the Milwaukee Brewers, and his next turn in the rotation could be skipped again while he recovers from a strained right hamstring.
The injury forced the righthander out of the game in the third inning of a loss at the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 4. Arrieta originally thought the injury was just a cramp but was unable to continue after stretching his leg.
Before that loss, Arrieta had been 6-1 with a 1.59 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break after going 8-7 with a 4.35 ERA in 18 starts during the first half. Left-hander Mike Montgo
mery took Arrieta’s place against the Brewers and was tagged for four runs in two innings. uCatcher Willson Contreras
(strained right hamstring) returned to the Cubs on Sept. 9 after playing two games on a rehab assignment at high Class A Myrtle Beach (Fla.), then was activated from the disabled list the following day. Manager Joe
Maddon plans to ease Contreras, who has had been on the DL since Aug. 10, back into action slowly. uShortstop Addison Russell
(plantar fasciitis in right foot) began running and throwing a football Sept. 8. Sidelined since Aug. 3, Russell is unlikely to return until late September.
Cincinnati Reds
Though Billy Hamilton has a broken left thumb and is on the disabled list, the Reds aren’t ready to rule the National League stolen base leader out for the season.
The center fielder and leadoff hitter was injured Sept. 6 during a win over the Milwaukee Brewers. He was hurt in the first inning while attempting to bunt, then left the game two innings later.
Hamilton, who has 58 steals, is expected to have his thumb in a splint until Sept. 16 and then be re-evaluated.
“We would certainly like to see him back on the field in a couple of weeks and help us, be it as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement,” manager Bryan
Price said. “Or if he can swing the bat and be able to get back in the lineup and be productive at the end.” uRight- hander Anthony
DeSclafani (sprained elbow ligament), who has been on the DL since spring training, continues to throw simulated games. Though DeSclafani will not see game action, the Reds would like to get his pitch count to near 100 by the end of the season.
uRookie outfielder Jesse Winker (strained left hip flexor) took a step closer to coming off the disabled list Sept. 9 when he ran the bases. He has been shelved since Aug. 25.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers will have to continue pursuing their first postseason berth since 2011 without one of their top starting pitchers.
Right-hander Jimmy Nelson was declared out for the season after jamming his pitching shoulder while diving into a base Sept. 8 in a win over the Chicago Cubs. He sustained a strained right rotator cuff and partial anterior labrum tear.
It was not immediately clear if the 28-year-old would require surgery.
Nelson finished the season with a 12-6 record and 3.49 ERA in 29 starts. The wins and ERA are both career bests for the five-year veteran.
“It’s disappointing news,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I feel terrible for Jimmy. He worked so hard to kind of get himself into this spot. He took up his game to the next level this year.”
The Brewers did not immediately name a replacement.
uLeft fielder Ryan Braun hit his 300th career home run Sept. 8 off Cubs right-hander John Lackey to account for both runs in the 2-0 victory. Braun became the 12th active player in the major leagues to reach the milestone. uRight- handed reliever Tay
lor Williams had a clean bigleague debut, retiring both batters he faced Sept. 6 at Cincinnati. He gave up one run in one inning in his second outing two days later.
Pittsburgh Pirates
It will be four more years for general manager Neal Huntington and manager Clint Hurdle.
Both received contract extensions Sept. 5 that will carry through the 2021 season. Huntington and Hurdle were both in the final years of their contracts, leading to speculation the Pirates might make changes after what figures to be their second consecutive losing season following three straight postseason appearances.
Huntington is completing his 10th season, making him the second-longest tenured GM in the major leagues behind the New York Yankees’ Brian Cashman. Hurdle is winding up his seventh season and had a 576-539 record through Sept. 10.
“We were able to accomplish some things in the last seven years that have meaning,” Hurdle said. “There are things out there that have more meaning that we want to accomplish together.”
The biggest is a World Series appearance. The Pirates haven’t been to the Fall Classic since 1979, when they defeated the Baltimore Orioles in seven games. Catcher Francisco Cervelli
(left quad) took a step closer to coming off the disabled list Sept. 9 when he threw and took batting practice. Out since Aug. 26, Cervelli was expected to start running Sept. 11. Outfielder Gregory Po
lanco (left hamstring) and utility player Adam Frazier (right hamstring) both were activated from the DL on Sept. 8.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals found some unexpected late season bullpen help.
Right-hander Juan Nicasio was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 6 in a trade for infield prospect Eliezer Alvarez. The Phillies had claimed Nicasio off waivers from the Pirates on Aug. 31.
Nicasio got saves in his first two Cardinals appearances. Before the trade, he led the league with 67 relief appearances while compiling a 2.79 ERA.
The Cardinals have been looking for a closer since Trevor
Rosenthal was lost for the season Aug. 17 because of a torn elbow ligament that required Tommy John surgery.
Nicasio will not be eligible for postseason play because he was acquired after Aug. 31.
Center fielder Dexter Fowler was forced out of a victory over the Pirates on Sept. 9 by a bruised left knee. He was injured crashing into the fence while chasing a long drive by Adam Frazier that turned into an insidethe-park home run.
X-rays were negative, but a timetable for Fowler’s return wasn’t immediately established.
Right- hander Adam Wainwright (right elbow impingement) threw off flat ground Sept. 9 for the first time being placed on the DL on Aug. 19, but it was too soon to tell if he could return this season. Wainwright had won his last five decisions when he was injured and is 12-5 for the season despite a career-worst 5.12 ERA.
“Not many.” Cubs catcher Alex Avila on how many broken-bat triples he has had in his nine-year career after his ninth-inning flare down the right-field line gave Chicago a 1-0 victory Sept. 6 at Pittsburgh